Dress-form.



F- B. GRANGER.

Patented Mar. 6,1911.

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DRESS FORM. APPLICATION FILED NOV-13 I912.

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w 7 R /C 5. La 12L SJZM LGHOW Patented Mar. 6, 1917 FRANK B. GRANGER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DRESS-FORM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Application filed November 18, 1912. Serial No. 731,948.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK B. GRANGER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Dress-Forms, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in dress forms and has as its object a device of improved type wherein the several adjustments for size and style of garment may be made easily and expeditiously with the advantages hereinafter pointed out.

In the following I have described, in connection with the accompanying drawings, one form of device illustrating the application of the principles of my invention, the features thereof being more particularly pointed out hereinafter in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation illustrating one embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the upper portion of the same, parts being broken away; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the upper portion of the same detached from the lower portion; Fig, 1 is a side elevation of the same showing the outer strips in outline and more clearly illustrating certain of the adjusting means; Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing said adjusting means in greater detail than in Fig. 4:;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the adjusting means on a slightly enlarged scale, parts being broken away; Fig. 7 is a rear view of the front part of the neck piece on a slightly enlarged scale, looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2; Fig. 8 is a detail view on a slightly enlarged scale of the front of another form of adjusting means, parts being broken away; Fig. 9 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a cross sectional View of the device shown in Fig. 8 along the line 10-10, looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 11 is a detail view, on the same scale as Fig. 8, of the front of still another form of adjusting means, parts being broken away; Fig. 12 is a cross sectional view of the device shown in Fig. 11 along the ,line

1212', looking inthe direction of the arrows; and Fig. 13 shows in outline an adjusting key.

Similar parts are indicated by similar numbers of reference throughout the several views.

The dress form proper is mounted on a base 14. carrying a socket 15 adapted to te1e-' scopically receive a supporting rod 16 which latter is held in socket 15 by set screws 17. By loosening set screw 17, the entire dress form may be rotated, as is obvious. Rod 16 is adapted to telescopically receive a second supporting rod 18 which latter is held in rod 16 by set screw 19. The number of supporting rods may be increased if desired. The neckand shoulder piece 20, made of any suitable material, preferably papierqnach, is supported on screw-threaded collar 21 on rod 18 and is made adjustable thereon backward and forward by means of slots 22 in plates 23 which latter form a portion of the neck piece. The upper end of rod 18 is screw-threaded to receive collar 21 and a knob 24 which latter in conjunction with collar 21 is adapted to clamp the plates 23 of the neck piece firmly between them in any desired adjusted position, the knob 24 also serving to prevent the form from being lifted off the supporting rods.

The telescopic arrangement of socket 15 and rods 16 and 18 provides for. the elongating of the dress form as is obvious.

The dress form proper comprises an upper or waist portion 25, depending from the neck piece 20, as hereinafter described, and a lower or skirt portion 25, slidably connected with the waist portion 25 as hereinafter described. Both the waistportion 25 and skirt portion 25 comprise substantially longitudinally arranged thin, fiat, stiff, resilient strips 26 and 26, made of any suitable material, such as steel, brass or vulcanized rubber, connected together as hereinafter described. If the strips 26, 26 are made of a metal, such as steel, they may be nickel plated or otherwise treated to render the same rustless.

I I shall first describe the lower or skirt portion 25. The strips 26, 26 are connected together at the bottom by a lazy tong device comprising levers 27 pivoted at the middle to strips 26 with the upper and lower ends respectively of the adjacent levers joined by strips 28 and pivotally connected thereto. of skirt portion 25 may be distended and contracted as is obvious, the resiliency of the parts and the frictional engagement By this means the bottom thereof holding them in the desired position.

A somewhat similar arrangement to said lazy tong device is shown at 29 and 30 of the skirt portion 25' and at 31 and 32 of the waist portion 25. As these devices 29, 30, 31 and 32 are substantially similar in construction, I shall describe but one of them. Figs. 11 and 12 are details of this type of device. They each comprise a pair of lever arms 33, 34 pivoted at their centers to a slide 35, the upper and lower ends respectively of the adjacent lever arms being pivotally connected together as shown. The slide 35 (Fig. 12) is of proper dimensions to frictionally engage strips 26 so that the respective lazy tong devices may be shifted up and down on strips 26 at any desired portion of said lazy tong devices or as a whole, while the skirt or other portion may be distended or contracted as is obvious. Lazy tong device 31, at the bust line may differ from the others in that all the lever arms need not be pivoted to the slides at their center points, the exceptions being at the middle, front and back, and under the arms, where the lazy tong is divided into sections by pivoting certain of the lever arms at their ends as shown at 31 (Figs. 1 and 2), thus permitting a separate and independent sectional adjustment as well as an adjustment as a whole.

On the inside of the dress form proper, slidably mounted on rod 16, are distenders 36, 37 and'38, associated with lazy tong devices 29, 30 and 39 (hereinafter described) at the knee, hip and waist respectively. Each of said distenders is firmly attached to its associated lazy tong device. As these distenders are substantially similar to each other in construction, I shall describe but one of them. Fig. 6 shows the details of this type of device. Each distender comprises a socket 40 adapted to be clamped to red 16 by a set screw 41. 42, 42 are radially disposed arms carried by socket 40 and each provided .with an upwardly turned flange 43. In certain of the distenders, as 36 and 37, flange 43 is rigidly attached to or integral with arm 42, while in others, as in 53, 54, and 56, the flange 43 is pivotally supported on arm 42 to permit a horizontal rotary movement. 44 is a serrated slide arm slidably mounted. in guide 45 on flange 43. 46 is a dog on pawl arm 47 pivoted to flange 43, the dog being adapted to take into the serrations on slide arm 44 and to hold the same against inward or outward movement according to the position of the dog. Brackets 48 are pivoted or otherwise secured at one end to the outer end of slide arms 44 and pivotally or otherwise connected at the other end to the respective lazy tong devices. The dogs 46 may be manually lifted or lifted by means of key 49 (Fig. 13) in the hand of the operator adjusting the device. The key may also be used in connection with the various set screws.

By means of the distenders described the operator may distend or contract the associated lazy tong devices, and consequently the dress form proper, as desired, the same being held in the desired adjusted position by the dogs 46. As the distenders may also be shifted up and down on rod 16, it is obvious that each lazy tong device and its associated distender may so be shifted, the lazy tong device having in addition a slight independent vertical movement.

The strips 26 of the skirt portion 25 terminate at loops 50 (Fi-gs. 8, 9 and 10) to which they may be suitably attached by pivoting or otherwise, as indicated at pivot 50 in Fig. 9. Loops 50 comprise the means whereby the skirt portion 25 and the waist portion 25 of the dress form proper are connected together. Each loop 50 comprises a loop portion 51 and a clamp portion Strips 26 are attached, as described, to one side of loop portion 51 while strips 26 of the waist portion 25 pass through and slidably or resiliently engage the loop. Lazy tongs 39, bent in the form of an arc of a cirole, and constructed as described in connection with the similar devices 29, 30, 31 and 32, are fastened at the middle of each of the lever arms to loop 50 by means of clamp 52. The clamps 52 are formed by passing the ends of the loops 50 through the double thickness of the lazy tongs 39 as shown in Fig. 10, and thereafter clenching the ends on the inside. But in forming the clamp, care is taken not to clench it too firmly, but loosely so as to provide play for the lazy tongs and at the same time permit outwarc curving of the strip 26.

Distenders53, 54, 55 and 56 are slidably mounted on rod 18 and are adapted to distend or contract those parts of waist portion 25 intermediate the waist and neck piece viz the bust, sides and back and the chest. Distenders 53, 54 and 55 have been separated in the drawings (Figs. 4 and 5) for convenience ofillustration. They are normally superimposed on each other in much closer relationship than shown. Distenders 53, 5-1- and are each attached to lazy tong device 31 by means of brackets 48 as described, distender 53 extending from side to side under the arms, distender 54 extending toward the front over the two points of the bust and distender 55. extending rearwardly to the back. Distender 56 is attached to lazy tong device 32 in the manner described. The construction of distenders 53, 54, 55 and 56 is similar to that described in connection with distenders 36, 37 and 38 and need not be repeated. Their mode ofoperation, in view of the description heretofore given, is obvious.

The neck and shoulder piece 20 may be made in two halves substantially similar to It is therefore necessary to deone portion and slidably engaging a guide 58 riveted to the adjoining portion. A pawl arm 59 is pivoted to guide 58 and carries a dog 60 adapted to take into suitable notches 61 in the upper edge of slide bar 57. 62 is a handle on pawl arm 59 to effectthe release of the dog from the notches. By means of these slide bars and associated parts, it is obvious that the neck piece and the portions thereof may be adjusted as desired. The two halves of the neck piece 20 are adjustably connected together by slide bars 57 similar in construction to slide bars 57 slide bars 57 being preferably arranged, one on each side under the arm holes (Fig. 2). The upper ends of strips 26 are shown as pivotally connected to brackets 63 riveted or otherwise secured to the bottom of neck and shoulder piece 20, although it is obvious that strips 26 may as well be pivoted directly to neck and shoulder piece 20.

By the means described I have provided a dress or garment form which may be easily and effectively adjusted at any desired point or position. It is obvious that many of the details may be greatly varied without departing from the spirit of my invention and I do not wish to restrict myself to such details further than the scope of the appended claims demand.

I/Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a dress form, a plurality of flat, resilient strips for the skirt portion, a plurality of lazy tongs disposed adjacent the upper ends of said strips for circumferentially adjusting said strips, loops pivoted to said lazy tongs, and a plurality of flat resilient strips for the waist portion respectively passing at their lower ends through said loops.

2. In a dress form a distender comprising horizontally extending arms, brackets pivoted to said arms and forming slide bar looped guides, toothed slide bars supported in said guides, a pawl pivoted on each of said brackets and adapted to engage the teeth on the slide, vertically extending flat resilient strips forming a waist and a skirt portion, lazy tongs extenders secured to said strips and brackets for connecting said lazy tongs to the said toothed slide bars.

3. In a dress form, a neck and shoulder portion comprising a. plurality of relatively movable pieces in combination with a plurality of flat resilient strips for the waist and bust portion pivotally carried by said several relatively movable pieces adjacent the lower edges thereof, said strips being divided into groups and each group being carried by one of said pieces respectively.

at. In a dress form, a neck and shoulder portion comprising a plurality of relatively movable pieces, brackets secured in groups to each of said pieces respectively and fiat resilient strips for the bust and waist portion pivotally connected with said brackets.

5. In a dress form, a neck and shoulder portion comprising a plurality of relatively movable pieces, fiat resilient strips for the bust and waist portion pivotally carried by said several relatively movable pieces adjacent the lower edge thereof, said strips being divided into groups and each group being carried by one of said pieces respectively and means for separately and independently adjusting the several groups of resilient strips relatively to each other.

6. In a dress form, a skirt portion and a waist and bust portion each comprising a series of fiat resilient strips, a slide at the upper ends of the skirt portion strips comprising a loop portion and a clamp portion, the lower ends of the waist and bust portion strips being adapted to slidably engage said loop portions and a lazy tong device secured to the slides by the clamp portion thereof.

7. In a dress form, a skirt portion and at waist and bust portion each comprising a series of fiat resilient strips, a slide pivotally secured at the upper ends of the skirt portion strips comprising a loop portion and a clamp portion, the lower ends of the waist and bust portion strips being adapted to slidably engage said loop portions, a lazy tong device pivotally secured to the slide by the clamp portion thereof and a distender operatively connected with said lazy tong device.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK B. GRANGER. Witnesses:

SEABURY C. MAs'rrok, K. G. LEARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing'the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

